This track has a very simplistic melody with bells and 808s to really bring out the feel of this track.

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State the name of your producer and elaborate on the song.

The Producer behind this hit single is Maskerade Beats. Maskerade likes to create up-tempo tracks with nice live sounds that collaborate with the kicks and 808’s. This instrumental is what got me involved with him. The more live the sound; the better.

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Discuss the lyrics of the song.

“Staying On Top” was created to pitch to the NBA and sports retailers by how the content was written. It ties in specifically to basketball and the current state of the league with the dominating teams staying on top of their game and meeting in the finals in the end. I tie my musical experience in with witty punchlines that transition well into basketball. I talk about Steph Curry and Lebron James as highlights in the single to show their rivalry and how important it is for these 2 superstars to stay on top of their game to come out a champion. The single is currently being pitched to the NBA for a chance to be the theme song for this year’s finals.

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Elaborate on your music career.

I have been creating music for over 10 years now and have been really serious over the last 5 years with branding and marketing myself to be a player in the game. I started out working with a friend of mine on a karaoke machine recording fun little rhymes and music. I started to love making people feel good from the lyrics and music feel I provided, so I continued to pursue it more and more till it became a defining part of my life. I am originally from Chicago, IL and went to college at Columbia College Chicago studying Musical Theatre and Music Theory. After a few years of college, I decided to take my music endeavors to the West Coast and found a new home in Los Angeles. From there I continued to write music and advance my sound and brand so that I could be undeniable at some point. Since then, I have released an album “Ego Trip” with great reviews and write ups in The Source, Hiphopdx, Souls of Hip-hop, and more. I have hit over 2 MILLION plays on my music streaming platforms, and have built a solid fan base around the world. Currently working on the release of my second studio album “R.I.P. (Rest In Prada)” set to release this summer.

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Brief us on how you are reaching fans with your music.

I continue to reach more fans today by touring around the country setting up radio interviews in major cities promoting my brand and letting people know that I am in their city to do meet and greet and perform at their favorite venues to draw more fans out. I am always engaging on social media by interacting with my guests who visit my page and leave comments and encourage feedback so they know that I value their opinions. Giving away free music to new subscribers and helping them get involved in my brand by making shout out videos and posts about which songs are their favorite.

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Discuss your motive behind making music.

I love to create content. I have always been the type that was the center of attention. I was the class clown in high school getting kicked out of class for a joke just to get people’s reactions. I feel that I have moved forward into creating music because it makes people feel a certain type of way. The mood, melody, and lyrics drive people’s emotions and I want to be able to tap into those and give the audience the feeling that they are looking for in that moment.

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Discuss your lyrics and songwriting.

To elaborate more on the lyrics and songwriting in this piece, we have to look at the structure of the song. Everything in the track is centered on the common them of staying on top of your game. In order for that to be successful, you have to have a solid team behind you. Without the team then you have nothing. So the song focuses on your team and how those around you help make the difference. As an artist, I need a great team of people around who understand the business and share the same passion that I do about becoming successful and bringing our game to the next level. It is very relatable to sports in every aspect of that.

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Elaborate on your work and achievement so far in your music career.

I continue to wow myself everyday with the accomplishments that I have made. First off, just recently I have hit over 2million streams on my music network which is a huge accomplishment for an indie artist with no manager or record label help. I have had the opportunity as well to work for Warner Chapel and work with Chris Brown on new music and a few music videos. To really sell my next album dropping this summer, I have been offered a $40k contract to take my music on tour around the United States in the late fall going into 2019 strong. There are a lot of things in the works for you guys to see and I can’t wait to share them with everyone.

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Tell us your opinion on using rhymes dictionary or writing software to develop lyrics.

I think that is corny. I don’t believe as an artist that you should rely on software like this to engineer your lyrics. I have no problem with artists who bring others into the studio to help brainstorm ideas on choruses and content. That is the real way to come up with authentic music.

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Discuss the music industry.

I believe the music industry is in a re-birth phase. Why I say that you ask? Because everything that trends recycles over time. When hip hop first came into light, the music was very simplistic and gimmicky. The lyrics where spaced out and rappers didn’t rap crazy fast and try to deliver more than one rhyming word per bar. As the game progressed, people like Biggie and Tupac came and provided the real lyrical, storytelling, smash hits that everyone fell in love with. I think the current state of music is in an upswing and that the music is going to shift back in the next few years to real story telling with content that has substance. I don’t feel that way about most of the new stars at this point.

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Elaborate on how you prepare yourself for a recording session.

I always like to make sure I’m prepared for a recording session by rehearsing the music hundreds of times before I step inside the booth to deliver. That way I know exactly what I want the outcome to sound like. The more prepared I am, the more content I am able to knock out in one day. I love to have other influential minds in the room that can help craft small things to bring the music to life engineering wise.

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Brief us on your preference in terms of tempo as in up-tempo, mid-tempo or slow tempo.

Depending on the mood of the song and what the message is that I am trying to get across really determine the tempo. I don’t have a preference because I bounce back and forth a lot on my albums with different tempo trying to create a track for everyone on the album.

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Discuss your shows or live performance.

I like live performances and it is my favorite thing to do as an artist. I have performed all over the place and lined up shows all summer throughout the U.S. promoting my brand and getting ready to tour with the new album dropping. I have done festivals, clubs, private shows, dinner parties, birthdays, etc. I and my DJ: Ace Smooth, hosting club events and parties. We would love to put together specific shows to entertain guests of all ages.

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Share your press release and reviews with us.

You can check out my press release and reviews on my Website which will highlight the music I have out as well as videos and breakdown of where I am most popular at in the world. As far as reviews, I have had my music reviewed on The Source, HipHopDX, Souls Of Hip-Hop, Jamsphere, 2dopeboys, Thisis50, and many more. If you google Prada Gino reviews/blogs you will find that content available as well.

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Send a message across to your fans and supporters.

I just want to say thank you so much for the continued support and I hope that I can continue to provide you with the music you love to hear. I want to create more visuals and do more meet and greet to get to know you guys more.

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Discuss the story line of the song.

The song story line starts off with putting together the dream team. Showing that through hard work, training and conditioning, you can create a force to be reckoned with. By the end of the song, we highlight my talents and how they are only magnified because of the other great people around me that continue to lift me up and create an atmosphere for us all to thrive in.

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Tell us what makes this song unique from others.

The content, the overall hard hitting lyrics, and the composition..

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Tell us the theme of most of your compositions.

The themes are always changing. Depending on the feel of the album and the direction I want to go. I like to create many different compositions on my album so that every fan has a song they can rock to and call their favorite. This new project dropping in the summertime is a much deeper look into the life of Prada Gino and the decision he faces now as he transitions into mega stardom. The decision he must make, stay independent or join the labels. You have to rock with the album to see what decision Prada Gino will decide to make.